8 ways David Cameron’s Cabinet reshuffle will change Britain

David Cameron has made changes to the Cabinet (Picture: AP Photo/PA Wire)

After four years of tinkering David Cameron has finally carried out a major shakeup of his government. These changes will really make a difference to the country.

Eight differences, in fact…

1. Our government is a lot more right-wing

Overall, this reshuffle has seen the prime minister replace ministers who get on well with the Liberal Democrats – senior figures like Ken Clarke, for example – with hardnosed right-wingers.

David Willetts, Alan Duncan, George Young and Dominic Grieve are all One Nation casualties. It’s being viewed in Westminster as an attempt by Cameron to put in place a set of ministers which he would like to have in power after the next general election.

We can expect more rows with the Lib Dems – which will help both of the coalition’s parties, of course.

Bye bye, Ken: The most experienced member of the Cabinet leaves the government (Picture: Rob Stothard/Getty Images)

OK, so this isn’t exactly a change. But it’s important; everyone expected Iain Duncan Smith to get shifted from the Department for Work and Pensions today.

He’s the man behind the controversial universal credit reform, which has been criticised for falling behind schedule and punishing the vulnerable. IDS was slated for an early departure from government, but it now looks like he’s sticking around.

For all the prime minister’s grandstanding in Brussels, he always had William Hague to smooth ruffled feathers when the media circus moved on.

Now Hague has quit to spend more time with his books, and arch-eurosceptic Philip Hammond is moving over from the Ministry of Defence to take over.

Hammond is so outspoken on Europe he has made clear he’d be happy taking Britain out of the EU altogether now. So much for the subtle tact of diplomacy… his more robust approach isn’t likely to win over many friends on the continent.

‘You can’t be what you can’t see.’ The old adage makes a powerful point: after this reshuffle, which has brought three women into the Cabinet, there will be more women running government departments, and more chances for women and girls to see that it is possible for them to get to the top.

Equal rights groups are delighted – even if Cameron’s determination to inject women into government looks a little like window-dressing.

After four years of Michael Gove, news of the education secretary’s departure will have triggered smiles in staffrooms up and down the country.

It doesn’t matter that his replacement, Nicky Morgan, is likely to press on with his reforms, or budge an inch on teachers’ pensions. Just getting rid of Gove will leave an entire profession in a better mood.

Michael Gove: No longer education secretary (Picture: Getty Images)

6. Our human rights security takes a dent

The European Convention on Human Rights, which British lawyers penned, is under threat from Conservatives fed up with Strasbourg’s growing power.

Issues like prisoner voting have tempted many Tories to make a move against the European court of human rights which upholds the convention. But until today they faced the opposition of Dominic Grieve, the attorney-general, who has preferred a non-confrontational approach.

No longer: his removal could signal a change of tack from the Tories. The replacement, Jeremy Wright, might just be encouraged to take a more electorally popular approach to the issue.

7. Badgers should be even more nervous this autumn

Liz Truss has replaced Owen Paterson as environment secretary.

The most controversial issue on her desk is the badger cull, which the government has pressed ahead with despite limited scientific evidence that it’s a good idea.

It looks like Truss is a firm supporter of the farmers’ lobby, which wants the culls to go ahead. So we should expect to see more protests this autumn when the next culling season arrives.

The final big shift of this reshuffle is a historic one. Beards and power haven’t tended to mix, but the elevation of Stephen Crabb to the Welsh Office means we have a bearded Conservative Cabinet minister for the first time since 1905.